Urban population growth in Germany
Germany: Urban population growth was 0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Germany, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Germany recorded 0.1% for urban population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 73.2% on the previous year and down 89.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Germany peaked at 1.6% in 1963 and was at its lowest, -1.8%, in 2011.
That places Germany 176th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in Germany, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.4% | — |
| 1962 | 1.5% | +10.6% |
| 1963 | 1.6% | +5.2% |
| 1964 | 1.5% | -7.6% |
| 1965 | 1.5% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | -5.4% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | -32.9% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -14.0% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | +24.0% |
| 1970 | 0.4% | -59.9% |
| 1971 | 0.2% | -44.8% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +130.5% |
| 1973 | 0.4% | -32.0% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | -78.8% |
| 1975 | -0.3% | -552.6% |
| 1976 | -0.4% | +17.3% |
| 1977 | -0.2% | -50.1% |
| 1978 | -0.1% | -68.7% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -206.8% |
| 1980 | 0.2% | +242.0% |
| 1981 | 0.2% | -25.1% |
| 1982 | -0.1% | -146.3% |
| 1983 | -0.2% | +213.9% |
| 1984 | -0.3% | +34.3% |
| 1985 | -0.2% | -36.4% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -126.7% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | +189.2% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +144.6% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +95.6% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | +11.3% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -15.3% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | -13.4% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -46.6% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -14.8% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | -47.5% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -82.9% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +188.9% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | +93.1% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +23.0% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -59.6% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -99.6% |
| 2005 | -0.0% | -10158.9% |
| 2006 | -0.1% | +165.1% |
| 2007 | -0.1% | +21.2% |
| 2008 | -0.2% | +51.4% |
| 2009 | -0.2% | +38.2% |
| 2010 | -0.1% | -47.5% |
| 2011 | -1.8% | +1483.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -114.0% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +46.8% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +46.2% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +86.8% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -42.9% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -14.0% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -33.4% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -14.9% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -31.0% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | +64.3% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | +52.7% |
| 2025 | 0.1% | -73.2% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 18% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Germany's 0.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 21% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth in Germany changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -10158.9% | 0.0% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -1483.0% | -0.1% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | -552.6% | 0.1% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1% | -0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | -0.3% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.0% | -0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | -1.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 173 Antigua and Barbuda 0.2% compare
- 174 Saint Lucia 0.2% compare
- 175 Bulgaria 0.2% compare
- 177 Dominica 0.1% compare
- 178 Kosovo 0.1% compare
- 178 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 0.1% compare
More climate change data for Germany
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.70 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 43,971 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,073 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,898 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 34.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,246 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,350 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 12,227 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 122.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 46.14 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Germany?
- Urban population growth in Germany was 0.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1963.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.8% in 2011.
- How does Germany rank for urban population growth?
- Germany ranks 176th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 89.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.